Coming Home to the Beauty Within: Further Experience in Niospiritual Focusing

At our second BioSpiritual Focusing retreat, Coming Home to the Beauty Within, we’ll continue to explore our individual and communal journeys through sensate experiences and focusing practice.

During the first retreat, The Many Faces of Beauty, we explored the depth and wisdom of inner knowledge garnered through the five senses, in order to expand our focusing practice. Often, BSF leads us on a path of complex emotions and discoveries. The Felt Sense can release a fuller awareness of how our bodies can teach the inner riches of accompanying our memories of difficult moments and experiences, in order to find freedom and awareness. In the Many Faces of Beauty, we sought to open another avenue for inner exploration, learning to relish the mystery of sensory experience in a journey of joy, peace, and inner freedom that focusing brings to our awareness.

This day will enhance our ability to integrate our sensate discoveries into our continually developing skill in focusing. We look forward to welcoming those who participated in our first session, The Many Faces of Beauty, as well as those joining us for the first time.

About the Presenters:

Jeanne Fallon is a Sister of St. Joseph who has had 36 years of experience giving spiritual direction in both Papua New Guinea and USA, including the formation of spiritual directors for 18 years at the Center for Spiritual Development in Orange, California. Her pastoral experience in both countries provides a unique background for her programs, such as, spiritual discernment, the contemplative attitude and fostering a listening heart. As a retreat director and program presenter, she has a holistic approach integrating body, mind, spirit and emotions, promoting the healing of the whole person through Bio-Spiritual Focusing and an appreciation for the interconnectedness of all creation. Sister Jeanne has served as the Director of Formation/Novice Director for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange and worked at Loyola Institute for Spirituality in Orange, California. At present, Jeanne is back at the Center for Spiritual Development. Sr. Jeanne has a MA (Spirituality), from Gonzaga University, Spokane WA, a BA (Spanish), St. Joseph College, Orange, CA and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction, Center for Religious Development, Cambridge, MA.

David Robinson, S.J., was born and raised in Billerica, Massachusetts. After completing undergraduate work at Boston University, he went to UC Berkeley for graduate studies in English Literature, and continued in theology at the Jesuit School of Theology and the GTU, where he earned a PhD in Theology and the Arts. As a Jesuit, he began a decades-long connection to ministry in the Latino community, as well as pursuing advanced studies in music. His ministry at the Loyola Institute included liturgical work with the CSJ sisters, Latino ministry, Ignatian pedagogy workshops, and spirituality and the arts projects. At the CSD, he has been part of a BioSpirituality cohort, offering retreats, classes, and workshops in focusing. On the personal front, he considers himself a work-in-progress—mingling interests in music, media, and global networks with an ongoing connection to organizational spirituality.

John Keane has over 25 years experience in practicing and teaching Focusing. John first discovered Focusing while recovering from a chronic illness that left him hospitalized for six months. Focusing had such an impact on his life that he changed career from working in the Health Insurance Industry, to studying the philosophy and practice of the Focusing Process. John took a BA in Philosophy in the Jesuit University, Milltown Park, in Dublin. He also obtained his certification as a Focusing Professional through the Focusing Institute in New York at that time. Inspired by the work of BioSpiritual Focusing, he obtained a master’s degree in Philosophy for his study on the correlations between BioSpiritual Focusing and Narrative. John travelled to California in 2008 to work and study with Fr. Edwin McMahon and Fr. Peter Campbell, the founders of the BioSpiritual Institute. John has taught BioSpiritual Focusing in a wide variety of settings, including Universities, retreat centers, parishes, and schools, and has presented at a number of international conferences.

John is passionate about sharing the gifts of BioSpiritual Focusing with children. He is also actively involved in the design and presentation of online BioSpiritual education programs.

John is the International Director of the BioSpiritual Institute.

Registration:

This program will be offered both in person and via Zoom. However, the Zoom option is available only to those who have prior experience with focusing. We ask that those who are new to focusing attend in person. Please select your option in the booking section below. For those choosing Zoom, a link will be sent a few days before the event. If you do not receive the email with the link, please check your spam / junk mail folder. Please note the time zone: Pacific Standard Time.

There will be a thirty-minute lunch break. Please bring a sack lunch that does not need to be heated as there won’t be enough time to leave the property for lunch.

All attendees must show proof of vaccination (including boosters, if eligible) to be maskless indoors. Otherwise, masks are required indoors. Regardless of vaccination status, we strongly encourage the use of masks, especially during times of high transmission. Please note that the Covid protocols at St. Joseph Center can change at any moment.

For questions, please call (714) 744-3172 or email thecsd@csjorange.org